


our union is a secret i'm hoping, dreaming, lying to keep

by shedreamsofstars



Series: our union is a secret i'm hoping, dreaming, lying to keep [1]
Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: A lil Plot, But mostly fluff, F/M, Kyoru - Freeform, Post Manga, this is just going to end up being a lot of fluff, with interfering sohmas and co
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24902611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shedreamsofstars/pseuds/shedreamsofstars
Summary: When Tohru and Kyo accidentally find themselves married, they decide to keep their new union a secret from their friends and family. That's easier said than done when you're both newlywed dorks who just want to spend some quality time with one another. But when said friends and family are always one step away from discovering the truth, how long can they really keep their secret?
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Series: our union is a secret i'm hoping, dreaming, lying to keep [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009383
Comments: 70
Kudos: 92





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> you've all heard of 'pretending to be married when you're not', now get ready for 'actually married but pretending you're not'

"Oh, Kyo-kun!" Tohru exclaimed with a soft gasp, tugging on her boyfriend's hand to grab his attention. "There's a cart over there with handmade jewellery, can we go look at it?"

Kyo blinked at her slowly, watching as her simple white dress fluttered in the breeze before following her gaze towards a small wheeled cart loaded with all kinds of sparkly pieces crafted from metal and gemstones.

"Yeah, course we can. We can do whatever you want," he said, nodding for her to lead the way.

After spending the better part of two month's apart from Tohru to work at his new job and complete all the paperwork for their new home, Kyo had finally received the key to their apartment earlier in the week. Neither him nor Tohru could stand the idea of spending another day apart, so the pair had moved in the next day.

Whilst he'd been at work all week, Tohru had been decorating the house and searching for jobs nearby and had been ecstatic at discovering that there would be a spring festival in a nearby town. Kyo had agreed to the idea instantly. This was their first weekend together in months and he planned to enjoy every second of it with his girl.

"Let's go!" Tohru said excitedly, rushing ahead so fast that he had to jog to keep from being pulled along after her. The pair of them made quite a sight as they moved through the colourful crowds of the town festival hand in hand.

Kyo had opted for his usual plain shirt and jeans combo, but with the weather being warmer than expected, he was starting to regret having gone for the black shirt. He undid the top button with his free hand as they arrived at the stall, watching on in vague amusement as Tohru spaced out at the sheer variety of jewellery on display.

She marvelled at the gemstone rings, the sparkly earrings and the intricate necklaces with an intensity that could only mean she was picking out what would suit her friends the best, but when her attention shifted to the bracelets scattered haphazardly across the front of the stall, Kyo's gaze turned wary.

Ever since he'd been freed from having to wear his own beads, seeing anything aside from a watch on a person's wrist left a sour taste in his mouth. Thankfully she didn't dwell on them too long, shifting her gaze back to a pair of earrings she thought would look nice on Kisa.

"What do you think?" she asked, holding them up to the light.

Kyo squinted to get a good look at them. They were small and pretty and looked like something little Kisa would refuse to ever take off. Tohru really did have a strange knack for picking out the perfect gifts for people.

"I think they'll look great on Kisa," he started, holding them up towards Tohru's ear. "But … they'll look even nicer on you."

The instant blush that fluttered to life on her cheeks had his heart skipping a beat. It seemed to be doing that a lot lately – surely that couldn't be good for you?

"You're so silly Kyo-kun," she said happily, handing over the earrings and the money to the vendor. "I can't wait until we have a housewarming party and I get to give presents to everyone."

"Uh, aren't you supposed to _receive_ gifts at a housewarming party, not give them?" he said blankly as Tohru thanked the vendor for the earrings. He took the bag from her, swapping it out for his hand as they began to wander away.

"Yes, but I just can't imagine everyone visiting and leaving empty handed. And gifting is so much fun, why would we miss out on that!"

Kyo shook his head but he didn't say anything further. If gifting things to others made her happy, then that was all that mattered to him. "Oh," he said, bringing them to a stop. "I'm sorry Tohru. I didn't ask you if you liked anything for yourself back there."

"Oh that's okay, I wasn't looking for myself anyway."

"Are you sure, because we can go back, no problem?" he assured her, beginning to turn back. Tohru refused to move though and he turned back to her.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said with a sweet smile, leaning in towards him a little as she spoke.

"Well now I just feel bad for not paying enough attention before," he grumbled, annoyed at himself for getting distracted by his own thoughts.

"It really is fine Kyo-kun. Besides, you can make it up to me by getting us some kakigori. It really is quite warm today and they always have so many different flavours, I never know which to choose!"

"Oh, they have that here?"

Tohru nodded. "I saw someone eating some earlier. They were coming from that direction" she said, pointing towards the other end of the street. There was a lot of people in the way so he couldn't quite see across, but he did spot another festival goer with a small pot of shaved ice.

"Well come on then, we haven't got any time to lose," Kyo declared as the pair of them set off in that direction. They made it about half-way across the street before they found themselves coming to an abrupt stop when a crowd of people blocked the walkway completely.

"I wonder why everyone's just stopped here?" Tohru asked glancing around for some sort of explanation. "It looks like they all want to go to that shrine over there. Do you know whose it is?"

Kyo shook his head. "No, but we can go check it out. I know you like to leave an offering whenever you can." He didn't really mind taking a detour on the way to dessert.

"Hmm," Tohru agreed. "I'd like that."

"Alright," Kyo said, catching sight of a small woman dressed in plain clothing who seemed to be attempting to wrangle the crowd outside the shrine. Tightening his grip on Tohru's hand so as not to lose her, he began to work his way towards the woman.

"Excuse me," he called out as he got close enough. "Is this-"

He never got to finish his question. The woman let out a high shriek of excitement the moment she set eyes on him, her wide eyes darting between him and Tohru.

"Oh goodness! It seems we have the perfect pair of volunteers for our last spot right here!"

"Uh, volunteers?" Tohru mumbled beside him, cocking her head in confusion.

"You _are_ here to visit the Musubi no Kami Shrine, yes?"

"Yes, but-" Kyo started before being interrupted again.

"Lovely, then if you'll just follow me up these stairs into the courtyard we can begin right away," the woman declared, shuffling up the stairs with the energy of someone half her age.

"Oh, okay," Tohru stammered as the crowds parted to let them through, ushering them after the woman with kind smiles. "I don't know what's going on, but it seems kind of rude not to follow."

"Yeah," Kyo agreed as the pair began to ascend the steps after the woman, who he now assumed was a shrine maiden. What harm could come from entering a shrine anyway?

"Ah, here they are! Come to the centre with the others my dears, that's it," the woman said as she led them to the middle of the shrine courtyard. People had gathered along the edges, but there were three other couples standing in the centre.

The shrine priest stood to the right of the altar, wearing the usual traditional attire whilst the short woman who led them here took up a spot to the left. The altar itself was piled high with offerings from fruit to coins, all neatly placed along the slab of stone.

"Excuse me sir?"

Kyo tore his gaze away from the front of the shrine to find another woman dressed similarly to the one by the altar holding out a sheet of paper for him. "I just need you and the lady to sign these before we begin the ceremony."

"Um … yeah, sure?" Kyo said politely, accepting the pen and scratching out his name at the bottom and handing it over to Tohru.

"You must want to lock this pretty lady down before she changes her mind, huh," she said to Kyo with a conspiratorial wink.

Kyo laughed nervously in response before wondering when exactly he had picked up Tohru's little habit. He was so distracted by the thought he didn't fully consider what exactly it was the pair of them had just signed their names to.

"What's going on Kyo-kun?" Tohru whispered from beside him once the lady had left.

"I think we just got dragged into the middle of some sort of feudal re-enactment, but I'm not sure." He was fairly certain this was some sort of re-enactment at least. The papers were likely just permission to be included.

Tohru let out an excited gasp. "Like a play? Oh, how exciting!"

Of course she would think so, Kyo thought with a smile before the priest at the altar drew everyone's attention by hitting the large gong beside him. The crowds fell silent as the ring resonated across the shrine, dying out by the second.

"Welcome one and all. Now that we have enough willing participants, let's get this going shall we. I'm sure our couples are eager to get this over and done with."

There was a low chuckle of agreement from the crowds.

"Alright, if you could all hold your partners hands in front of you, then we'll begin."

Tohru and Kyo did as they were told, facing each other and holding hands as the priest went through the ceremony step by step. The re-enactment was pretty simple Kyo thought as they followed along with the other couples.

There was some sake ritual that he didn't quite understand, and the recitation of a prayer, but it wasn't until a shrine maiden appeared with paper rings that Kyo figured out just what ceremony they were re-enacting for the crowds.

He felt his cheeks heat up instantly, but if Tohru caught onto the same thing, she didn't seem to show it. She just seemed blissfully happy at being able to partake in something where she didn't have to be a mean stepsister.

With the priest's speech over, the crowd erupted into cheers of joy and cherry blossom petals were flung into the air, hanging like pink crystals in the sky before showering down around everyone in the shrine.

"Oh, I think we're done," Tohru said as the other couples embraced around them. "That was so fun!" she smiled.

"Congratulations you two, I hope you live long happy lives together," the lady beside them said, handing over the two rings for the pair of them to do with as they pleased before shuffling away.

"Um … thank you?" Tohru said, accepting them with a warm smile. "Kyo-kun, look at how pretty these are, and we both get one too!"

"Uh … yeah," Kyo replied, his cheeks still burning.

"Oh goodness, you two really do look so wonderful together," someone cooed from behind him and Kyo turned to see the shrine maiden he had spoken to outside. "How romantic that your wedding anniversary will fall on the first day of spring forevermore!"

"Our wedding anniversary?" Tohru said looking as lost as Kyo felt. A sudden air of panic overcame him, and the blood rushed to his ears as he finally caught onto the woman's words.

"Those were … real wedding vows?"

"Of course. We may do on the spot weddings, but they are perfectly legal and binding," the woman said happily before pausing in thought. "Wait … you _did_ know that right? I mean, the papers you signed clearly said-"

"Yeah, yeah, of course we did," Kyo said hurriedly, lying through the grimace that threatened to overtake his face. He turned towards Tohru who was doing a significantly worse job of hiding her own panic.

"Definitely. Of course we did. How silly would it be if we thought it was just pretend the whole time," Tohru babbled, that nervous laugh of hers resurfacing. She likely would have continued to talk, but Kyo squeezed her hand firmly and her panic seemed to subside a little.

"Oh good, I thought we'd done something terrible there for a second. Becoming husband and wife is nerve wracking yet exciting adventure so you have nothing to be worried about. I must go and congratulate the others before they leave, but I shall leave you with these papers to fill in and send off should you need them."

"Papers for what?" Kyo asked a little suspiciously. They'd already accidentally signed themselves into becoming life partners with the last papers someone handed them, was this one to take their souls hostage too?

"There's your marriage certificate and the paperwork to legally change your names should you require it. We only hold a marriage license at the shrine, so that extra work will fall to you unfortunately. Good luck to you both on your new journey, although from the way you look at each other I hardly think you need it."

The lady inclined her head politely before shuffling away, leaving Kyo and Tohru alone in the middle of the shrine. Kyo took a deep breath as he took a moment to take in everything the woman had just said, his fingers tightening around the scroll of paper she'd handed him.

"Um … Kyo-kun?"

He glanced down to see Tohru watching him curiously.

"Yeah Tohru?

"We're … really … married?"

"We are," he replied quietly, careful not to let any inflection colour his words. They had never spoken about marriage in so many words, so he had no idea how she would react to the news or what she would be feeling in that moment.

Probably confused like he was, but Kyo also found a little kernel of happiness inside of him too at the thought of knowing he was tied to Tohru in a significant way.

"We're married," Tohru repeated a little more assuredly this time, the small smile on her face widening by the second. "Kyo-kun, we're really married!"

This time Tohru rushed forward, clinging to the lapels of his shirt as she pressed herself closer to him with a beaming grin on her face. Her closeness was all he needed for the kernel to pop, and suddenly Kyo's own grin matched hers as the happiness puffed up inside him.

"I know, I can't believe it." Her face dropped a little at his words and he felt the need to clarify immediately. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy. I always wanted-" Kyo cut himself off a little embarrassed as Tohru watched him curiously.

"You did?"

"Of course … eventually at least. Did you?"

"I really did," she said, her voice soft and sincere.

His arms were around her in an instant as he kissed her gently, smiling against her lips as she struggled to keep from giggling. "I'm actually going to get to call you my wife," he whispered, running a reverent hand through her hair.

As much as he wanted the moment to last, it didn't take long for reality to come crashing down around him and Kyo's bliss turned to dread in the blink of an eye. He groaned incoherently, releasing Tohru in favour of grabbing his knees with his hands.

"Kyo-kun, are you okay!?" Tohru said worriedly, placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. "Kyo-kun? Oh no, is this too much at once? Oh no. It's okay, I'm sure we can fix this. We'll tell them it was a mistake and-"

Kyo stood and pulled Tohru into his chest to silence her, holding her in a loving caress to keep her from jumping from one wrong conclusion to the next.

"You could never be a mistake Tohru. I couldn't be happier that we're husband and wife, however it happened but … it's just … Master is going to kill me for not inviting him to my _wedding!_ "

Tohru squeaked in alarm as Kyo's words shattered her little bubble of happiness. "Oh no, he'll be so upset. What are we going to do? This is terrible. This is really bad"

"I know, I'm such a terrible son. What if he doesn't-" He stopped as Tohru's finger pressed against his lip.

"Don't say that Kyo-kun. Master would never think that of you. He's kind and he loves you so much. This was just a simple mistake. He'll understand, I just know he will.

"Yeah maybe but … oh god," Kyo said, suddenly looking more alarmed than even before as the faces of Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima came to the forefront of his mind. "Those two…" He shuddered violently, unable to finish his thought.

"Oh, Uo-chan and Hana-chan," Tohru said as she caught on to his line of thinking, her nervous laugh bursting through. "This really _is_ bad Kyo-kun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!!
> 
> [if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with other fans, come join us in the kyoru discord server](https://discord.gg/vnF4mja)


	2. chapter two

"Tohru Sohma huh …" Kyo said, testing the words in his mouth as he glanced over at his new wife. The pair were currently seated on a picnic bench in a park close by to the festival, the papers from the lady at the shrine spread out in front of them in an organised disarray.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked again for what seemed like the hundredth time since they'd accidentally found themselves married. "Because you don't need to change it if you don't want to. I won't be offended or anything if you want to keep Honda."

Tohru looked up at him with those doe-like eyes he had no clue how to resist. "No, I'm sure about this. Everything else was a little unexpected, so at least this part of our future will be traditional."

"You're completely sure?" Kyo twisted the pen in his fingers. "Alright, alright … here." He said, giving in as she levelled him with a stubborn glance. He pushed the papers towards her. "You just have to sign at the bottom and then I guess it'll be official. You'll be Mrs Tohru Sohma."

"Mrs Tohru _Kyo_ Sohma," Tohru corrected as she took the pen from him. "There really are a lot of Sohma men, so I'd like for everyone to know which one is the most important to me."

Kyo chuckled in response, reaching to ruffle her hair playfully.

"Hey, my ribbons …" she protested with a giggle, swatting his hands away and grabbing them to hold herself instead.

"If you're done with those, I'll go drop them off," Kyo said, nodding at the papers. "I saw a post office on the way over and it's not too far."

"Yes, I'm all done," she said with a smile before noticing his phrasing. "Wait, shouldn't I come with you?"

Panic shot through Kyo like bursts of flames. "No, don't worry about it," he said, hoping she couldn't sense the tightness in his tone. He needed for her to stay here, at least for long enough for him to do what he needed. "You should stay here and rest, it's been … a day," he finished quietly.

Tohru seemed like she wanted to keep arguing her point, but she bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Yeah, okay. Stay safe."

"I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

He turned to leave but stopped at a sharp tug on his arm. He turned and Tohru pulled him down long enough to press a kiss to his cheek. "For the road," she said warmly before sitting back at the table and pulling out a book.

Kyo couldn't stop his smile as he began to walk back to the post office he'd spotted earlier. Although his mind was a little more preoccupied with the store he'd seen opposite it. He shook the thought away, reminding himself to deal with one thing at a time.

He'd woken up this morning excited to be spending some time with his girlfriend and now he'd return home with his _wife_. This day truly was stranger than fiction. How would he ever be able to explain any of this to anyone without sounding like a total idiot.

Did he even deserve someone like Tohru? She was so kind and precious, whilst he couldn't even read a stupid sheet of paper before signing it. How could he ever protect her from anything more serious in the future?

Kyo shook the negative thought away. No. Whether he deserved her or not, Kyo couldn't bring himself to regret the fact that the two of them were together now. She had him, and he had her. Well and truly.

He had the right to be happy about that at the very least he thought distractedly as he handed over the deeds to change a name and the marriage certificate to the clerk at the counter.

"These are perfectly in order Sir. I'll have to keep these to copy and send to the Registrar's office, but I'll have them mailed back to you very soon. I just need your address," the boy said, pushing over a notebook.

"Yeah, sure," Kyo said, scribbling down the address without much thought.

"Thank you Sir, good day to you."

"You too," he said before taking his leave. As his feet hit the concrete on the street outside, Kyo stared at the jewellery store he'd seen earlier. Instead of heading straight back to the park, he crossed the street and made a quick detour inside.

It didn't take him long to find what he needed, but just as he stepped out of the store, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered without looking and held it to his ear.

"Hey Tohru, is everything okay?"

" _Yes Kyo my love … everything is as perfect as your naked body on a hot summer's day_ ," a voice deadpanned down the line. Kyo balked as he recognised the voice and mentally kicked himself for not checking the caller ID before answering.

"Haru," he growled in anger. "What the hell was that?!"

" _You thought I was Honda and I played along. Sheesh. And here I thought you'd matured enough to take a joke."_ Hatsuharu replied, his voice still as monotonous as ever.

"I can take a-" he started before taking a deep calming breath and deciding the fight wasn't worth it. "Whatever. Why are you calling me anyway?" he said deflated.

" _Oh yeah, that. Put me on speaker for a second."_

"Why?"

There was a murmur from someone else before Haru's voice returned. "It's important."

"Okay …" Kyo said sceptically, hitting the button to amplify his cousins voice.

" _Honda! It's Haru. You there Honda? Honda,"_ Haru called out, dragging out Tohru's name for emphasis.

Kyo's face turned bright red as people passing by began to glare at him in annoyance as he struggled to turn off the speakerphone. "What the heck Haru!" he yelled as he finally found the right button. "What is wrong with you?"

" _Well, my shoulder does hurt a little today."_

"I don't care! Why are you yelling for Tohru?"

" _Is Honda there?"_

"You can't call her that anymore," he yelled back angrily before realising his mistake.

He was met with silence down the line. And then, _"Why can't I call her Honda. Is that not her name anymore? Did she change it or something?"_

He couldn't tell his cousin that he and Tohru were married and that she was as much as Sohma as they were. That was exactly the type of disaster he was hoping to avoid.

"It's not important … just … what do you want her for?" he said with a sigh, hoping Haru wouldn't push the issue. The boy was more perceptive than people gave him credit for, so he was going to need to come up with a cover story quickly.

" _Rin wants to talk to her."_

"Then why doesn't she call her," Kyo grumbled, wondering why the pair had even bothered calling him when Tohru had a mobile phone of her own.

" _I tried already,"_ Rin's voice came, sounding as if she was far away from the receiver. _"That's why I asked Haru to call you. Isn't she with you?"_

"I'm not with her right now," Kyo said slowly. "She's not picking up?" he asked, suddenly worried.

" _No."_

"I'm going to look for her," he said quickly, cutting the call before either Haru or Rin had a chance to respond. Why wasn't she picking up? Was she okay? Did he make a mistake in leaving her behind?

So many thoughts tumbled through his mind as he broke into a run back towards the park, his feet slamming the ground hard with every step. When the bench he'd left her at was in sight, Kyo was alarmed to find it empty.

Tohru's bag was still there, her book laying open on the table with a fallen leaf holding her place, but she herself was nowhere to be found. He forced himself to remain calm, ignoring the twinge of worry at her absence as he approached the area. Surely she had to be nearby he thought, glancing around for any signs of her. She wouldn't have left her belongings unattended like that for no reason.

There were people milling around the park, so if something bad _had_ happened to her then they would have seen something. Although they did seem busy doing their own things and from what he could tell, there wasn't a pretty brunette with ribbons in her hair in sight.

He reached for his phone instinctively, hoping that wherever she'd gone she'd not been careless enough to leave her phone behind. Perhaps she'd just not heard Rin's call earlier and was just distracted by something else.

He swiped it open and found her contact, but just as he was about to hit call, he heard the light tones of an unmistakeable giggle coming from just beyond the trees behind him. He headed towards the sound without another thought, slipping the phone back into his pocket as he pushed back some overgrown branches.

He found Tohru sat on the bank of the river beyond, several little ducklings quacking excitedly around her. She giggled again as one of the smaller ones hopped into her lap, following her hand with its beak as it no doubt searched out morsels of food.

"Tohru?"

"Kyo-kun, you're back!" Tohru called happily as she spotted him hovering. "I fed some left-overs to the ducks and now they all think I'm hiding more food somewhere." She stroked the little creature in her lap as she spoke, a warm smile on her face.

Kyo shook his head gently as he approached, wondering why he hadn't already expected her to be doing something like this. "I was a little worried when you weren't where I left you, but of course you'd be out here feeding these little things," he said as he dropped to the ground beside her.

The ducklings sidled over to Tohru, giving him a wide berth in their search for food and Kyo couldn't help but grimace at the side effect of having once been host to the cat spirit. If she cared at all, she didn't let it show as she picked up the duckling in her lap and placed it in his instead.

The little creature seemed worried for a second, but the moment Kyo stroked its tiny head it relaxed and seemed to let go of all its fear. "I think he likes you," Tohru whispered, her eyes wide in amazement as the baby duckling curled up and puffed its tiny feathers out to relax.

"Only because you showed it how," he replied softly as he met her gaze. He wanted to reach out to touch her so badly, but he didn't have the heart to move the little duckling in his lap until he absolutely needed to.

"You were gone for a while, did everything at the post office go well?" Tohru asked after a moment.

"Oh, yeah. It was all fine, they'll send us the documents back soon but it's technically official. From now on, you are Mrs Tohru Sohma."

Kyo surprised himself at his own daydreamy tone and suddenly his right pocket felt like it was on fire as his recent purchase demanded to see the light of day. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. It was now or never.

"You ready to head home?" he asked, his voice slightly strained.

Tohru hummed in response and Kyo scooped up the little ducking in his lap, placing it gently on the water before taking Tohru's hand and helping her up. Whilst she was brushing the dirt off her dress, Kyo dropped back down to the floor on one knee.

"Did you drop something?" Tohru asked as she noticed him on the ground. "We can look – oh …" she trailed off with a gasp. A bewildered expression crossed her face as Kyo smiled up at her, a gold ring nestled in his hands.

"I know this was supposed to happen before we were actually married but, given the circumstances …" Kyo blushed wildly as he struggled to finish his sentence. He wanted to look away, but he knew he'd miss Tohru's reaction and regret it if he did. "It's not much to look at but … if we're married then I'd like for you to wear a proper ring at least."

"Kyo-kun, it's beautiful," Tohru said, her eyes shining with happiness. "This is why you wanted to go alone earlier?"

He nodded. His face felt like it was on fire, and for a second he found himself considering how much harder this would have been if the woman before him was not already his wife and he wasn't already sure of her answer.

"I know we messed things up a little, but I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. So, how about it? Will you do me the honour of accepting this ring as my wife?"

"Of course I will Kyo-kun," she cried, surprising him by dropping to the ground too. Her eyes were bright with joy and lined with tears as she let him slip the ring on her finger. He kissed her knuckles once before letting her hand drop and helping her to her feet again.

Her arms circled around him the moment he was stood up. "Kyo-kun," she mumbled, voice muffled by his clothes. "I can't believe we're actually married."

"Me neither," he admitted softly as he held onto her. "But about that … can we keep quiet about this, for a while at least. I'm sorry to ask you but it would just be until we figure out how to tell everyone properly."

His mind flashed back to his earlier conversation and how he had narrowly avoided revealing the truth to him then. If he knew Haru, then the boy had caught onto something even if he didn't quite know what.

"That's okay. It can be our little secret for now," Tohru said, her smile blinding as she finally let go of him and reached to entwine her fingers with his larger ones.

"You're rubbish at keeping secrets," Kyo deadpanned as he led her back out towards the bench.

"Not this time I won't be!" she said with a determined air. "Just you watch Kyo-kun, I'll be so good at keeping this secret no one will ever know anything has changed between us."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he said with a chuckle. "Hey, you _did_ bring your phone with you when you wandered off right."

Tohru was suspiciously silent and Kyo let out a world-weary sigh. From talking to Rin and Haru, Kyo already knew what her answer would be, but he wanted to check regardless.

"Tohru," he sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time, I promise."

"You dummy, what am I gonna do with you," Kyo muttered, knocking the back of her head gently with his knuckles as he pushed back the branches to let her pass.

"You could kiss me," she mumbled back with blazing cheeks, not looking at him as she released his hand and made a beeline for the picnic bench.

Kyo rolled his eyes at her bashfulness, jogging to catch up with her. He caught her by the hand and spun her back towards him, catching her against his chest. "For the record, that's not a punishment," he said, quirking an eyebrow. "At all."

"I know."

"Good. Just checking," he said, right before fulfilling her original request.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! i hope you're enjoying so far and i can't wait to share how things turn out for these two adorable idiots as the story progresses!
> 
> [if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with other fans, come join us in the kyoru discord server](https://discord.gg/vnF4mja)


	3. chapter three

The bus ride home had been uneventful, but Tohru was riding so blissfully on her cloud of happiness she doubted she'd have noticed if anything strange _did_ happen. They'd stopped off to pick up some groceries on their way home from the bus station and were now in their little kitchen, expertly working around one another as they prepared dinner.

Tohru was watching the pots on the stove, mixing the contents occasionally as she added spices by eye, something Kyo never understood whenever she tried to explain, whilst Kyo chopped onions for their soup with short sharp movements.

Even after watching him cook several times, it still amazed her how precise he was with such a dangerous tool. Just one wrong movement could be catastrophic, but he was so controlled and practiced it was almost magnetic.

Tohru was watching him so intently that it took her a moment to realise that he was looking at her with a strange look on his face. "Uh Tohru … your phone is ringing," he said softly.

His words seemed to break some barrier, and suddenly the light music of her ringtone was blaring from behind her. "Oh," she said quietly, briefly wondering how long it had been going off for as she glanced back towards the table.

She bit her lip as she looked at the pots in front of her, stirring the soup instinctively, and then back to her phone. Out of the corner of her she saw Kyo risking a glance towards her again as he continued chopping.

"Is it Rin again? I thought you two talked earlier," he said curiously. It wasn't like her to ignore calls and he'd clearly picked up on that, but she also didn't want to go and answer it if it meant leaving him to cook alone.

With Kyo waiting for an answer, Tohru took a single hop backwards, still stirring the pot as she leaned back to read the flashing screen behind her. "It's Uo-chan," she said with a little surprise. She wasn't expecting a call from her today.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Kyo asked with concern as she still made no move to answer the phone, the music still ringing out into their small kitchen.

"I don't know," Tohru said, glancing at the phone with a torn expression. As much as she wanted to answer it and see Uo-chan, she really didn't want to leave Kyo to do the work here by himself.

"Why not? Did something happen between you two?"

"No, but … who will help you cook if I'm on the phone?"

Kyo rolled his eyes, dropping the knife in his hand as he headed for the table. He picked up her phone and handed it to her. Tohru let out an involuntary yelp as he grabbed onto her waist, backing her out of the kitchen.

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Just answer the phone, otherwise that delinquent will have to call me, and she'll be real mad about it too."

Tohru smiled at that. She knew they had no real rivalry, but it was always amusing to watch her boyfriend and best friend butt heads. No, not boyfriend. _Husband_ , she reminded herself. Wow, this was going to take some getting used to.

"Thank you, Kyo-kun."

"You're welcome," he replied sweetly, dropping a quick kiss on the tip of her nose before ushering her further into the living room. Tohru answered the call as she headed for the sofa, glancing back to see that Kyo had disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Uo-chan! Hello," she called happily as Arisa's grinning face appeared on the screen, probably a little closer than it really needed to be.

"Tohru, finally! I feel like this thing has been ringing _forever,_ " the girl said dramatically, flopping backwards onto what looked like her kitchen floor.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry Uo-chan, I was a little busy cooking so I couldn't answer right away, but Kyo-kun is taking care of everything now," she beamed, her heart swelling at how easily kind her husband was.

Arisa on the other hand groaned at the very mention of Kyo.

"Ugh, good. Make him do it by himself all the time. It's the least he could do since you have to put up with his face all day every day. How is living together anyway? Terrible I'll bet," she cackled.

Before Tohru could reply however, there was the sound of a muffled voice in the background of the call. She couldn't make out the words, but whatever they were, they had Arisa rolling her eyes with a dramatic sigh.

"Kureno has just informed me that I'm being unjustly mean, so I take that last part back," she said with a grumpy pout. "He can still cook by himself though. Anyway, I was hoping that … oh, hang on a second," Uo said, squinting at the camera.

"What is it?"

"Hana's calling!" Arisa said excitedly.

With a simple swipe, Saki Hanajima's stoic face appeared beside Arisa's, her dark hair ethereal as it spread out on the ground beneath her in magnificent waves.

"Hana-chan, hello!" Tohru said brightly.

"Your timing is impeccable as usual," Arisa said with a pleased grin and Tohru couldn't help but be grateful that she had both her close friends with her, if only in this small way.

"Hello you two. Yes, I too am surprised at how I decided to call at this precise moment in time," Hana mused, a knowing sparkle in her eyes. "How is your new home Tohru?"

"Wonderful. Everything is just perfect," Tohru said, glancing towards the kitchen. She could just about see a sliver of Kyo's clothing peeking through the doorway and smiled involuntarily at the sight of him.

"We knew you would love it," Hana said simply, a rare warm smile on her lips.

"We weren't happy about Carrots dragging you away from us, but so long as you're sure you're happy …" Arisa trailed off questioningly.

"I really am," she reassured them. "I miss you all so much, but I am happy here too. Besides, I'll just have to love you all more when I finally get to see you again!" Tohru said, fighting off the tell-tale sniffles that she knew would lead to her tearing up uncontrollably.

"As much as I love the idea, don't take too long coming back to Tokyo. I can only stand this place without you for so long," said Arisa, her grin slipping a little.

"I won't make you wait too long. We don't know when we'll be back yet, but as soon as Kyo-kun and I decide-"

"Hey Hana," Arisa interrupted, her brows raised in confusion. "What are you making that face for?"

Tohru hadn't noticed before, but Arisa was right. Hana had cocked her head to the side, which wasn't too unusual, but that look in her eyes was unmistakeable. She was sensing something.

"I'm not sure. Something just seems very strange today. Tohru you seem … different."

"Huh, I do?" Tohru squeaked, surprised that the attention had turned back to her.

"Yes," Hanajima said, frowning as she looked at her phone. "Your face … it just seems … different today."

"Now that you mention it Hana, you're right. Tohru does look a little different. Did you cut you bangs again?" Uo asked.

Tohru reached up to touch her bangs before brushing them out of her face. "No, my hair is the same as normal. Maybe it's something else?"

"Oh, that was _shiny_. Is that a ring on your finger Tohru? I wanna see it," Uotani asked, pressing her face closer to the screen to get a better view.

"Huh!?" Tohru yelped, startled that Arisa had noticed such a thing. No, of course not. That's so ridiculous Uo-chan, it's not like I have any specific reason to be wearing a ring or anything," she stammered quickly, unable to stop the nervous laugh that escaped the moment she stopped talking.

Tohru pulled her hand to her lap, attempting to prise the ring off but without her other hand, there was no way she could do it. Her face burst into flame as spoke, her cheeks burning brighter and hotter with every second the ring remained stuck on her finger.

Without stopping to consider if it was a good idea, she cut the call on her two friends, and with both hands free, she tugged the wedding band off her finger with ease. The phone rang again, but in her hurry to answer, the gold band slipped from her fingers and Tohru could only watch on helplessly as it rolled away from her and under the coffee table and her friends confused faces flashed on her screen again.

"Oh, sorry. I think my finger slipped or something, silly me," Tohru said hurriedly, her mind still contemplating whether she should dive for the ring or wait until later. "What were we talking about again?"

"The ring on your finger," Arisa said simply.

"Oh, yes. Except there's nothing on my hand. Just my fingers like usual, look" she said as she held up her hand to the phone camera. Her voice sounded pitchy and off, but she hoped that the phones natural distortion would be enough to keep it from being too obvious.

"Okay," Arisa responded, dragging out her words in a way that made Tohru suspect she didn't believe her entirely. "I suppose it was just a trick of the light or something. Strange."

"Yes, exactly. A trick of the light," Tohru agreed readily, glad for the excuse. But Hanajima was harder to convince.

"I do not believe that flash to be the result of light refracting at an improbable angle," Hanajima chimed in. "Our phones are not sensitive enough to pick up such irregularities in the world."

"Uhh … how did you fail science again?" Arisa asked in surprise.

Hana only shrugged in response.

"I have a theory about what it could have been," Hana started, and Tohru felt her stomach drop at the words. "But the waves are being especially temperamental today, so I can't say for sure."

"Well, perhaps it would be better to say nothing … until you can be sure that is," Tohru offered, her heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. Surely Hana didn't know the truth, right? That was impossible.

"Yeah I agree," Arisa added. "I'd love to hear the theory when you have it, but right now I can hear Kureno yelling in the other room, so I should go. I think he just found Mr Leggy Legs."

"Um … Mr … Leggy Legs?" Tohru repeated, thoroughly confused by the name.

"It's the spider I found in the house this morning. I couldn't just kill him, so I let him wander off to wherever he was headed so long as he minded his own business. Little guy was doing great right up until now … I'll speak to you both soon."

"Bye Uo-chan!"

"We shall converse again soon Arisa. Goodbye for now."

"Bye you bunch of weirdos!" the blonde called before cutting the call.

"Well, I won't say I'm not a little disappointed. I for one would be thoroughly entertained by the sight of Mr Sohma running from a spider."

"Hana-chan, I can't tell if your being serious."

"Heh … it doesn't matter either way. You seemed a little frazzled earlier. I wonder why that could be? Have you had anything to eat yet?"

"Um, no … Kyo-kun is just finishing up with the cooking."

"Hmm, yes. I sense he is nearly done, so I shall leave you to your dinner. Do remind Kyo that if he treats you wrong, I'll make sure he regrets it instantly." Hana laughed openly at Tohru's nervous expression "Never mind dear Tohru. Look after yourself."

"Oh, I will. You too, Hana-chan. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye."

The call ended with a simple beep and as soon as she knew she was alone, Tohru dropped her head to her lap with a sigh of relief. That had been too close. She didn't feel good about hiding the truth from her friends at all, but for now, what other choice did she have?

Lifting her head, she realised her finger was still empty and Tohru slipped to the ground on her knees. She was all ready to dive under the table to retrieve the ring when Kyo cleared his throat. Her gaze shot to the doorway where he was leaning casually against doorframe, his hair partially covering his eyes in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

"Looking for something?" he asked, a bemused smirk playing about his lips.

"Yes," Tohru admitted apologetically, ignoring that her heart was racing now for a different reason entirely. "I was trying to hide my ring from Uo-chan and Hana-chan, but I dropped it and it fell somewhere under the table."

"I think I'd be more surprised if you told me you _hadn't_ dropped it at this point," Kyo commented, pushing himself off the frame and walking towards her. He gently rapped the top of her head as he dropped down beside her. "Here, let me get it for you."

With his unnaturally brilliant eyesight, Kyo found the glinting ring in seconds and Tohru scooted closer to him with a grateful smile. "Thank goodness. I never want to take it off again," she said as Kyo rolled it around in his palm, brows drawn together in a frown.

"So, did they see it, or …?"

"Nearly, but I managed to convince them that it was a trick of the light. I told you I could do this, didn't I?"

The frown remained on his face. "Yeah, you did. I'm sorry you had to lie to them like that though." He bit his bottom lip in thought and was silent a moment, seeming to consider something. "You know what, maybe we should just not answer our phones for a while."

"What?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just being an idiot is all. I was talking to Haru earlier and said something stupid, and now with your ring … we're both doing a pretty rubbish job at keeping this under wraps aren't we?" he said with a smile.

Tohru returned the smile, reaching to place her hand against his knee. "I think we're doing great. And it won't be too much longer, right?"

"Right. I'd like to tell Master in person if that's okay with you, and then we can tell the others too."

"Of course it is! Master-san will be so happy, I can't wait to see his face," Tohru said, leaning in towards him without fully realising until Kyo placed a hand against her cheek to keep her from toppling forwards.

"Yeah, I hope he will be" he chuckled, reaching for her hand. His calloused fingers were rough against her own as he slid the ring back onto her finger. Tohru thought he would let go of her, but she was secretly glad when he kept a loose hold of her fingers.

"But until then, you're going to have be extra careful about keeping this hidden." Kyo held up her hand a little so the ring caught the light, its smooth surface glinting just as it had when she'd accidentally shown it to Arisa and Hana.

Tohru hummed in agreement. "I will be more careful. I won't make a silly mistake again. I'll make sure no one suspects anything is different at all, I promise you Kyo-kun. From the bottom of my heart."

Maybe it was something in her tone, or even the words themselves, but Kyo looked concerned. "Tohru … I trust you more than anything, you don't need to promise something like that. Sometimes you can't control things and it's not your fault. I don't want you to feel bad if something goes wrong and we slip up."

"I know, but … being the married the way we were … I just …" Tohru stopped to take a calming breath. Kyo's eyes were still on her, soft and patient as he waited for her to find the courage to voice her thoughts.

She knew first-hand just how much one mistake could cost your respect in another's eyes. Her parent's relationship with her father's siblings was all she needed to know that she never wanted to give anyone the chance to hurt either her or Kyo like that.

"I don't want anyone to find out the wrong way and think badly of you," she said, her voice dropping to barely a whisper.

Kyo didn't say anything in response, but he did let his thumb brush gently against her cheek and that gesture was all she needed in that moment to know that he understood. That he was there to listen to and share her fears whenever she needed.

"Come on," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You need to eat something."

He made to stand, but instead of following suit, Tohru flung herself at Kyo and wrapped her arms around him tightly as she pressed her cheek against his chest. If his exclaim of surprise wasn't enough to know she'd caught him off guard, the rapid beating of his heart confirmed it.

"Kyo?" she mumbled into the fabric of his shirt.

"Yeah?" he said, holding her against him gently.

"Please don't ever leave me," she whispered. "Say you'll always be here to put my ring back on if I need you to."

He didn't reply straight away.

They both knew she was being stubborn in asking for something he could never hold himself to. Making a promise like that was just asking for trouble, but Tohru was grateful that Kyo was indulging her with his silence, if only for a moment.

They both knew just how suddenly you could lose the people you loved.

He brushed a hand lovingly through her hair, placing a kiss against her temple. "I can't Tohru, I'm sorry. But I promise you that I will love you as long as you'll let me."

Tohru hugged him even tighter.

"That's enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading!! this was supposed to be all lighthearted and fluffy but it keeps getting heavy and i can't stop, please send help lol
> 
> [if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with other fans, come join us in the kyoru discord server](https://discord.gg/vnF4mja)


	4. chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning, there's no sohma interference in this one but i just *really* wanted kyo and tohru to have a cute moment at the beach before a certain someone shows up to rain on their parade

"Kyo-kun! Kyo-kun, wake up!"

The orange haired boy groaned sleepily as someone shook his shoulders gently, a familiar panicked voice filling his ears. He opened his eyes lazily, his hazy vision catching vividly on the first thing he saw.

Tohru.

He smiled instinctively, reaching up to cup her cold cheek with his hand. "Tohru?" he asked, noticing the panic in her eyes as he sat up quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry to wake you like this but … you have work soon but your alarm didn't go off," she said apologetically, leaning into his touch as he let his fingers stroke her cheek.

"Oh, that," he said with a tired yawn, letting himself fall back onto his elbows. It still felt strange for him to sleep in a bed – it was somehow always too soft for his liking – but he had no plans to make Tohru sleep on a futon.

She wouldn't complain, but he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. And he didn't have the strength or the heart to keep away from her, so he gladly put up with the extra comfort. Even if it did make him a groggy mess every morning.

"I guess in all the excitement of yesterday, I must have forgotten to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I called Sensei at the dojo and explained to him what had happened. He allowed me to take the week off work, and I swore him to secrecy, so we don't need to worry about anyone else finding out or anything."

"You really took the week off?" Tohru squeaked, a note of happiness slipping into her tone.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Since we're newlyweds and all, I guess I wanted to spend this time with you. It's not a proper honeymoon but at least we'll be together."

Despite the ridiculousness of their situation, the timing really couldn't have been more perfect. Tohru hadn't received a job offer yet, and he had accrued some holiday from his past two months at the dojo. So for the next week at least, he and Tohru would be able to spend some quality time together.

"That's wonderful Kyo-kun!" Tohru said excitedly, her voice rising several octaves with every word. He smiled without reserve, getting the exact reaction out of his wife as he had hoped for as she fell into him.

Her arms wrapped around his middle in a tight hug as she squealed words he had no hope of ever deciphering. He gazed at her in quiet contentment as she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him, her eyes bright with excitement.

"So," he said softly, running a hand through her hair. "What do you want to do this week?"

"I just want to spend all my time with you," she said, the smile on her face refusing to budge.

"That's reassuring since we'll be spending the rest of our lives together but … maybe you could be a little more specific? Besides, I plan to spend so much time with you that you'll be sick of my face by the end of it."

Tohru sat up straight, her face scrunching adorably. "I could never be sick of you. And you have the most wonderful face." Kyo scrunched up his own face to match hers and Tohru giggled. "It's even more wonderful when you do that."

"So, about where you want to go?" he prompted again.

"Well …" Tohru hummed, considering their options carefully. Kyo knew the exact moment she figured out what she wanted. Her eyes lit up with a smile before it found its way to her lips and she let out an unexpected gasp. "Oh, I know the perfect place! We should go to-"

The rest of her sentence was lost to him as he pulled her down and kissed the words away before she could voice them. Her lips were as soft and welcoming as a lazy summer's day and he pulled away from her before he lost himself in the daydream of her; but not before stealing several light pecks for good measure.

"Hey, you didn't let me finish," Tohru said quietly, her voice still a little distracted from their kiss.

"I know that face," he replied, flicking her nose gently. "You want to go to the beach, don't you?"

"I do, but … how did you know that?"

"It doesn't matter," he replied, refusing to give up all his secrets. "But if that's what you want, then that's where we'll go. I'll call Hatori and see if we can get one of the Sohma houses."

"Really!?"

"Yes, really," he chuckled. "Uh, hey. Where are you going?" he asked as she slid out of his reach and hopped off the bed, taking all the warmth with her.

"To start packing," Tohru called over her shoulder. "We're going to the beach Kyo-kun! This is going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah, it is," Kyo replied, letting his gaze linger on her for a moment.

A few hours and a train journey filled with Tohru's bubbly babbling later, the pair found themselves walking along the beachfront hand-in-hand. They'd already dropped their bags off at the house to settle in and were now enjoying the rest of their day in peace.

"You're smiling an awful lot," Kyo pointed out as yet another passer-by eyed them endearingly. Kyo couldn't even bring himself to care that people were staring at them. He was too enchanted by the girl beside him to be bothered by anything else.

"Oh," she said in surprise. "I guess I keep doing it without realising."

Kyo watched on in amusement as she tried to keep a straight face for a moment. As expected, she was spectacularly terrible at it, the edges of a smile lingering on her mouth as she tried and failed to fight it off.

Her smile was daylight incarnate; it couldn't be stopped by anything, not even her own sheer willpower.

"Hey Tohru," Kyo said, attempting to conceal his own grin. "I didn't point it out to be mean or so that you'd stop. You never have to stop yourself from smiling."

"Oh good," she said with an exhaustive sigh. "That was _really_ hard. I kept trying to make it go away, and I even tried thinking of things to make me sad, but it didn't work. I kept seeing you out of the corner of my eye and the smile kept coming back."

Kyo rolled his eyes lovingly, knocking her gently with his shoulder. "I'm glad we're not seeing anyone we know anytime soon," he mused. "They'd take one look at your goofy grin and know something was up."

"Yeah," she agreed, her dreamy smile back in place as she pressed herself closer to Kyo. "They definitely would."

"Should we go and build that sandcastle you wanted?" he asked, noticing that the tide had gone out a little, leaving several glittering shells in its wake.

"Absolutely!" she said, pulling him towards the sand without hesitation with all the girlish delight one would expect from a child.

Despite their efforts, Kyo and Tohru's sandcastle didn't look much better than the one they had made the last time they were out here. As Kyo gazed back at it from the water's edge, it still looked more like a sand igloo than a palace of any sort. Hopefully the shells they were collecting would spruce up its appearance a little bit.

Kyo started with a hiss as the cold surf rushed over his feet, his toes sinking into the wet sand uncomfortably. He hadn't intended to come this close to the water in their search, but Tohru was adamant that the best shells were always the ones freshly washed up, and so he had followed her closer and closer to the sea.

His wife was currently standing knee deep in the salty water, crouching occasionally to sift through the water in search of shells whilst he stood nearby, a bucket of their spoils clutched in his hand.

"Look at this one, Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted, and Kyo shielded his eyes from the low sun as she held her hand up towards the sky. Despite his good eyesight, all he could make out was a dark shadow clutched in her palm as she bounded over to him.

"Wait, where are you going?" he shouted after her as she completely bypassed him and the bucket in his hands, rushing straight towards the sandcastle instead.

"You have to see it on top!"

He followed after her, dropping the bucket of shells in the sand beside their castle before doing the same with himself. He watched silently as Tohru positioned the shell she'd found on the very tip of their sandcastle, looking intensely proud of herself as she turned to him with a soft 'ta-da!'.

The white shell she'd found sat at the very tip of the sand pile, spiralling towards the sky with speckles in various shades of orange decorating its exterior. "It's looks great," he commented. "Really draws the attention away from … all the rest of it," he added with a chuckle, the girl squeaking in protest before attempting to tackle him with one of her infamous hugs.

He dodged her with a practiced ease, and she missed him completely, toppling to the soft sand in a fit of giggles. "You're not getting any better at that you know, I can see you coming from a mile off," he pointed out as she crawled over to him and reached for some shells in the bucket.

"I'll just have to practice harder," she replied, her eyes reflecting the sun behind him. "Then I'll be able to hug you whenever I want!"

"You can already do that, you know. You don't need to learn how to be stealthy to do it." She didn't respond, and it wasn't until he noticed her busying herself with placing the remaining shells that he realised it was because she was flustered. Maybe now was a good time to tell her, he wondered.

He moved to kneel beside her, letting his hand drift over hers deliberately as he readjusted one of the shells. He saw her watching him from the side of his eye, but he took a lesson from her and occupied his attention by adding to the ring of shells at the base of the castle. "I never told you Tohru, but …"

He stopped, shaking his head as the words he wanted to say refused to find purchase in his mouth. Tohru was watching him curiously, her hand curled tightly by her chest. She didn't normally do that unless she was nervous, and Kyo knew he had to say something to stop her from panicking, even if it wasn't what he'd originally intended.

"I could teach you to be stealthier," he declared after a moment, finally letting himself meet her eyes. "

"That would be nice," she replied softly, but her smile slipped a little as she spoke. She knew him too well to not notice he'd changed the topic, but he was grateful that she didn't push him on it. Maybe he could try and tell her what he really wanted to later, they were going to be here for a few more days after all.

Even still, he didn't like that she'd be dwelling on his unsaid words for the rest of the night. He needed something to distract and lift her spirits, and he knew just the thing. As she reached for another shell, Kyo grabbed the bucket and stood up.

"We've still got loads left Kyo-kun, we don't need any more shells yet," Tohru said, watching him curiously as he shook the bucket in her direction. The contents rattled against each other enticingly but as she went to reach for one again, he lifted it clean out of her reach.

"Uh-uh. You don't get this back until I know for sure just how terribly you can throw a punch. I can't teach you to be stealthy without knowing," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Huh," she said, her eyes wide with alarm.

"Come on. You can either punch me, or you can try and take the bucket back yourself," he said, grinning as Tohru hesitantly got to her feet. With every step she took towards him, Kyo lifted the bucket higher into the air.

He knew that she was too short to ever be able reach it, but he also knew she was too stubborn not to try anyway.

"So which is it?" he asked as she stood in front of him, her hands cradled in front of her. He watched as her brows slipped into a determined frown. She jumped for the bucket, her fingers catching nothing but empty air as her feet landed on the sand again.

She tried a couple more times, and Kyo enjoyed himself entirely too much every time she muttered under her breath when he lowered the bucket only to raise it out of reach as she jumped for it.

"Okay, you win Kyo-kun. I'm never going to be able to reach it," she said breathlessly, collapsing against him and clinging onto his shirt.

He raised a single eyebrow. "Does that mean you're going to punch me?"

She shook her head vehemently as she turned out towards the ocean. "What if I actually hurt you?"

"You're so puny, do you really think you'll be able to?" he said, his tone softening as he finally relented and handed her the bucket of seashells. He'd expected her to return to her sandcastle project, but instead, Tohru placed the bucket on the floor and reached for his hands.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry Kyo-kun!"

"Huh. You're sorry for not punching me?" he asked, suddenly confused by where Tohru's thoughts had drifted.

"No, not that. The days almost over and we haven't done a single thing of your choice yet," she said sadly.

"Oh, is that all," he replied with a soft chuckle. "I'm having fun just being with you, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Are you sure?" she asked, the worry still evident on her face. Kyo sighed and cupped her face in his hands, resting his forehead against hers.

"Yes," he reassured her. "Yes, I'm sure."

"You know, we still have a little time before the sun goes down. Is there anything you'd like to do?" she asked, her voice so quiet that Kyo wondered whether she was whispering. He glanced out at the ocean behind him, the sky a kaleidoscope of oranges and pinks as the sun began to set over the dark waves.

"Actually, there's one thing I'd like to do," he said, letting out a quiet breath before turning back to an expectant Tohru.

"Anything."

Kyo dropped to the sand and tugged Tohru down with him, guiding her into the space between his legs so they faced the sea and the sunset beyond.

"This," he said softly, holding her close and resting his chin against her shoulder. "I just want to do this." A content smile settled onto his lips as Tohru entangled their fingers and the pair settled into a comfortable quiet as the world drifted into darkness around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! (i hope you're still enjoying this and it's not too boring lol)
> 
> [if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with me and other fans, come join us in the kyoru discord server. we'd love to have you there <3](https://discord.gg/vnF4mja)


	5. chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning, if you haven't already finished the series there are major spoilers from this point onwards so please tread carefully <3

The heat bore down in simmering waves as Tohru and Kyo made their way down the boardwalk hand in hand, Tohru's sandals clacking against the wood with every dainty step as she worked on finishing her ice cream.

Kyo had ordered her multiple scoops after she'd been unable to choose between flavours. He himself had gotten a simple vanilla for himself, but unlike Tohru he had finished his within minutes.

The pair were quiet as they passed between the beach and cliffs, taking in the beautiful scenery around them - although Kyo _was_ a little more distracted with his own thoughts to appreciate them to their full extent.

The last time he'd tried to voice the thoughts circling in his mind to Tohru, he'd clamped up and lost his nerve. But as his gaze shifted to the roiling waves in the sea beyond, the same thoughts pushed against the fringes of his mind, searching for a way out towards freedom.

He glanced towards Tohru as if she could hear the words in his mind, but she was too engrossed in her ice cream to notice his turmoil.

At least for now.

The girl had an uncanny ability to know when something was up with him, and if he didn't work up the courage to speak soon, she'd notice something was wrong. So with an inconspicuous inhale, he squeezed his girl's fingers and she turned to him with wide eyes that almost held an ethereal glow in the daylight sun.

"The last time we were here," he started slowly, trying to feel out the words before they left his mouth. "It was when I first realised how I felt about you, the first time I let myself even think about you as anything other than just _you._ "

His gaze shifted back to the sea, the rise and fall of the water settling his spiking nerves. He could feel Tohru's eyes on him, but if he wanted to get his words out he couldn't be looking at her.

"At the time, I never thought …" He swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. "I never thought I'd ever be back here again, but I was happy. I was happy that my first and last time would get to be with you because I finally knew that-"

He stopped as he heard a sniffle from beside him, turning to see Tohru with melted ice cream dripping down her fingers and tears streaming down her cheeks. He let out a strangled sound of surprise before rushing to wipe at her tears and stare helplessly at her sticky fingers.

"Uh, I'm sorry Tohru. I shouldn't have said any of that. You're supposed to be having a good time on your honeymoon and I'm just upsetting you instead."

"No," she said with a shake of her head, her voice light and watery. "I'm not sad at all. I'm so happy right now. I'm so happy that you're sharing all of this with me."

"You are?" he said, surprised by her response. "Hey, you're gonna … the ice cream …" he started, sighing in defeat as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh what does it matter," he finished, giving in and squishing her back.

"I'm so happy, but you didn't finish what you were saying."

"I didn't? I … forgot what I was saying," he said with a frown, unable to recall anything beside Tohru's tear stained face.

"You said you finally knew. What did you know?"

"Oh, that." Tohru pulled away and looked up at him expectantly. "It was nothing," he said instinctively, even though he did want to tell her the truth.

"It wasn't nothing Kyo," she pushed gently, staring up at him with red rimmed eyes.

"Yeah … you're right. It took some thinking, and a fight with Akito, for me to realise that I loved you. I loved you so much that I couldn't hold onto you if I wanted you to be happy."

She was silent a moment. "So … you were going to let me go."

"Yeah, I was. I guess coming back here the way we have it's made me a little nostalgic or whatever. It might be a little ironic and even selfish, but I'm so glad you never gave up on me the way I was prepared to give up on you."

She placed her head gently against his chest, a little hiccup sob escaping her as she did so. "Tohru …" he comforted gently as he moved a hand from the small of her back to rest on her head. "I forget you're such a cry baby sometimes."

When Tohru finally let him go, he felt a lot lighter and free – as if the words he'd confessed to her had held a real weight in his soul. They weren't gone completely, he could still feel some sort of pull deep inside him, but he definitely wasn't carrying the burden alone anymore.

It only took a moment for his wife to notice the streaks of coloured ice cream on his shirt, and she tittered incoherent words Kyo could only assume were apologies as she threw the remainder of her sweet treat in the nearest bin.

"It's alright Tohru," he said, trying to dodge her as she returned and attempted to swat as his shirt. "It's not like it won't wash out or anything."

She huffed as she caught nothing but empty air, and Kyo took the small respite in her attacks to sweep in and capture her hands. "Home?" he suggested, leaning in to nudge her cheek with his nose.

"Sure, let's go," she sighed, her voice soft and breezy as she began to tug him along.

By the time they reached the beach house, the dusky evening light was the only thing illuminating them in the courtyard. Tohru was still holding on to his hand, but it didn't take much to slip out of her grip.

She looked alarmed for a second before his hands slipped around her waist and he spun her around with childish glee. Her laughter echoed warmly within in him, and before he knew what he was doing Kyo was smiling against Tohru's lips as she sighed into his kiss.

"Well, would you just look at the two of you clinging to each other like newlyweds. Isn't that just adorable?"

The two of them jumped apart guiltily as the familiar voice broke through their haze of serenity. Kyo was still holding Tohru by the waist. He pulled her closer without thinking as his gaze shifted to the front of the house.

The door stood open and standing there backlit in a halo of golden light stood probably the last person Kyo would want to bump into out here.

"Shigure," he grumbled, unable to hide his annoyance at seeing the man. "What are you doing here?"

"I was actually talking to Tori this morning - although he may describe it more as _bothering_ \- and he might have mentioned you and Tohru were here on an impromptu visit. Anyway, long story short, I was inspired and decided I too really miss the beach and so here I am."

"So you just showed up to be an annoyance," Kyo bristled, tamping down his anger the moment he felt Tohru's light touch against his sleeve.

"It's such a wonderful surprise to see you Shigure-san," she smiled.

"Thank you Tohru. It's nice to see that at least _one_ person appreciates my presence," Shigure said, flashing a pointed look at Kyo who only growled in response. "Well, better hurry it up. Akito's inside getting the table ready for dinner. We've been waiting on the two of you to return for quite some time," he said, waving them towards the door before heading back inside alone.

Kyo and Tohru lingered in the courtyard, watching each other in quiet contemplation as they heard Shigure's footsteps fade away. "Man, I hate that guy," the former grumbled the moment he was sure the older man was out of ear shot. "Why does he have to show up and ruin everything?"

"What a strange coincidence that we're here at the same time again though," Tohru commented thoughtfully. "And with Akito too."

"It's not a coincidence, it's deliberate – Shigure basically outright admitted it. That guy just loves to get on my nerves!"

Tohru placed her hands on Kyo's cheeks, pinching them gently. "You're so cute when you're mad," she said with a giggle.

Kyo flushed instantly, his face heating up so quickly he was sure that Tohru would be able to feel the change. He was about to pull away when her face dropped and a fearful "Oh!" fell from her lips.

His embarrassment vanished instantly at her small sound of alarm and he found his own hands clasping her shoulders in an effort to remind her that he was there, he was hers.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Akito and Shigure, they'll see my ring!"

Kyo relaxed a little. "Is that all?"

"I have to take it off, but my dress … it doesn't have pockets."

"I could always keep a hold of it?" he offered. "I've got plenty of pockets."

Tohru smiled kindly but shook her head, letting her fingers drop to his shoulders and rest flat against his chest. "Thank you, but that feels too much like returning it to you," she explained.

"Okay, we'll just figure something else out," Kyo said as he leaned down and pressed his forehead with hers. "You just want it near enough to know it's there, right?"

"Yes," she replied slowly, attempting to nod but settling for a nondescript movement of her head instead.

"I think I have an idea that might work. Hold still, okay."

With that, Kyo stood up straight. Before Tohru knew what was happening, or could even object, Kyo had tugged at one her hair ribbons hard enough to untie it. One half of her hair fell past her shoulders like a waterfall of silk and Kyo ran his fingers through it before doing the same to the other side.

Her two ribbons trailed along his fingers and he deftly slipped one into his pocket. "I'm gonna need you to turn around," he said, giving Tohru a gentle shove to encourage her to spin.

With the ribbon still in his hand, he lightly pulled the top section of her hair back into a half-up do and tied the ribbon securely. It wasn't as pretty as she'd tied it before, but it was vaguely bow shaped, so he deemed it passable.

"Hey, can you pass your ring to me?" he asked, pulling the second ribbon back out. He slid the gold band along the soft material before draping it across her neck and tying it off at the back.

She lifted a slender hand to touch the ring that hung at her neck and smiled widely as she glanced backwards over her shoulder at Kyo. "Kyo-kun, this is wonderful. I love it," she said, her eyes glittering with what he suspected were unshed tears.

"You're welcome." He dropped his head and pressed a quick kiss against the tender skin at the back of her neck, relishing in the small squeak she let out before spinning to face him. "It looks great, but it's all pointless if you don't tuck it into your dress."

"Oh," Tohru said softly, as if only just realising the fact, and he found himself sighing at how easy it was to distract her. It was endearing, but he also couldn't help but worry over her.

"How's that?" she asked as she tucked it in.

Her dress hid her ring fairly well. Kyo could just about make out the outline of it against the top of her chest, and it wasn't noticeable unless he really knew to look for it. It would work fine at keeping Shigure and Akito from figuring things out too quickly.

And if Shigure did somehow notice it, well then he'd have to answer to Kyo's fists since he would have to have been staring intently at Tohru to do so. It would be even more deserved since he'd have been shamelessly looking at his girl when his own was right there.

"Kyo," Tohru said, bringing his attention back to her. "How does it look?" she asked again, but Kyo wasn't talking about the ring when he spoke next.

"Perfect."

Her honeyed gaze locked onto his and he couldn't bring himself to look away, wondering if it was possible to see someone's feelings as clearly as he felt his were showing right then. He leaned in towards her, but the creak of the door had him straightening up stiffly instead.

He turned towards it, ready to yell at Shigure to wait a little longer, but the words died in his throat as he took in the smaller figure in the doorway. Akito, her dark hair sleek and straight as it brushed against the tips of her shoulders stood leaning against the door.

Her face was blank as she scrutinised him, but he didn't miss the small quirk of her lip as she spotted Tohru in his arms and that alone was enough for him to be okay with her presence.

"If you two are done canoodling out here, dinner's ready. There's …" she paused thoughtfully, "some things I'd like to talk to you about." This last part was clearly addressed at Tohru, and she smiled widely as she slipped out of Kyo's embrace and rushed towards the door.

"Akito!" she squeaked excitedly as she pulled her in for a hug. The other girl stood there reluctantly at first before slowly but surely returning the gesture.

"We're sorry for taking so long. Let's go inside," Tohru said, grabbing Akito's hand as she led her inside. Kyo followed behind the two of them, pausing to hover in the doorway a moment.

The cool night air brushed against his warm skin as he let out a wistful sigh. This was going to be an unexpectedly interesting evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading! let me know your thoughts if you can, and apologies for the delay (it's been a rough month so i've not really had the time or motivation to write unfortunately but everyone's comments have been so kind) hopefully the next update will be sooner (fingers crossed) <3


	6. chapter six

Dinner was a simple affair.

That was, if you could call the several courses Shigure and Akito had requested be brought over from the annex kitchens _simple_.

Tohru and Kyo sat across from Shigure and Akito, a spread of food ranging from dumplings to grilled fish placed artfully between them. As the conversation dropped, Tohru reached for rice ball and noticed that Shigure was giving her a strange look.

"Uh …" she started, accidentally knocking a spoon in a nearby dish. "Is everything okay Shigure-san?"

The man blinked slowly and purposefully before leaning forwards and resting his chin in his hands. "I'm not sure," he said contemplatively, his eyes still on her as if he was trying to figure something out. "Have you done something different with your hair? I could have sworn it looked different when we were outside."

Panic fluttered in her chest and it was suddenly _very_ difficult to breathe. "Oh, it's just that-"

She was saved from finishing her sentence when Kyo interrupted, an adorably grumpy look on his face that she couldn't help but appreciate. "What do you care about her hair you dirty perv," he grumbled with a deep frown as he picked at the food in his plate.

There was absolutely no doubt Kyo was annoyed that their quiet evening together had been cut into by Shigure and Akito's unexpected arrival, but she knew from his relative silence that he was at least trying not to be _completely_ hostile.

From Shigure's responding grin, he knew it too.

"My, my, Kyo. You really are in a foul mood today aren't you. I'm sorry dear Tohru, I hope he isn't this horrid to you every day. I worry, since the two of you are _all alone_ in that house _all the time_ with _no one_ to protect you."

Even without the older man emphasising his words for dramatic effect, it wasn't hard to catch onto where his mind was wandering. _'A little too close to the gutter,'_ Tohru could almost hear Yuki saying.

His remarks brought a hot flush to her cheeks and she chewed her food frantically to keep from having to respond instantly. Kyo didn't respond to the comment either, but Tohru did feel him tense up beside her, and when she risked a look at him he was stabbing at his chicken rather roughly.

"Is that a blush I spot, Tohru? I didn't mean anything indelicate I assure you, just an innocent comment over an innocent dinner. Unless there's something I'm missing of course?"

That seemed to be the last straw for her new husband as Kyo suddenly slid his chair back and stood up, slamming his fists on the table as he did so. "I just remembered there's somewhere else we have to be," he declared loudly, gritting his teeth.

"Oh really?" Shigure responded. "I was certain Tori said that-"

"Gure," Akito warned quietly, her face the picture of annoyance. She had been silently listening to her boyfriend throw around aimless comments this whole time, but it seemed even _she_ had had enough. "Let them be."

"Ah, you're no fun," the older man moaned, leaning back in his chair and pouting at his girlfriend. "Besides, we're staying in the annex so it's not like we'll see them again before they leave. Sit down Kyo, you're starting to make me antsy."

Kyo's stomach grumbled traitorously, and despite his obvious desire to escape, he retook his seat with a defeated sigh. As soon as he was seated, he returned to openly glaring at Shigure. The tension between the two of them was rife, and Tohru had lived with the two of them long enough to know that if she didn't do something soon, it would only end in an argument.

As inconspicuously as she could, she reached under the table and placed her hand on Kyo's knee. His eyes drifted towards her at the touch and she leaned towards him. "It's just a meal," she whispered encouragingly.

The gesture seemed to appease him for the time being as he nodded, placing his own hand over the top of hers in response.

"She's right Kyo. After dinner, the two of you will have all the privacy in the world and you can make each other blush in whatever way you fancy. Isn't that right dear?"

If looks could kill, the glare Akito flashed at Shigure would have had him cold and dead on the on the floor in half a second flat. But as it was, he only grinned shamelessly and began to serve the next course.

Luckily, the food created a buffer for any disagreement that could have arisen from that particular look as the four of them dug into their over-laden plates.

"This tastes amazing," Shigure noted, lifting a forkful of grilled shishamo towards Akito. "Here, try some." She gingerly took a bite, blushing wildly at the obvious display of affection and Tohru couldn't help but smile at her friend.

Kyo however seemed to care marginally less about the scene before them. "Stop being all gross and cutesy Shigure, it doesn't suit you at all. Just finish eating and go," he griped, shovelling a much too large bite of food into his mouth.

"So, Akito," Tohru interjected loudly as their two partners began to bicker ceaselessly. "What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh," the other girl murmured, frowning at her food as she tried to figure out a way to put her thoughts to words. "Actually, it was about my wedding. I don't have many people I can call 'friend' … but you already knew that," she said with a nervous laugh.

"That's okay," Tohru said softly, nodding to encourage her to continue.

"We set a date for next year, and I was wondering if … maybe …"

Akito bit her bottom lip and frowned intently at her food. Tohru gave her a moment to finish her sentence, but it became pretty clear that she didn't plan to. With a concerned expression, Tohru leaned forwards but she needn't have worried.

As if sensing her distress, Shigure momentarily paused whatever argument he was having with Kyo and turned to Akito, casually wrapping an arm around her waist and leaning in close to her ear.

Tohru straightened up to give them some privacy, and even though she had no idea what Shigure said, it seemed to have been exactly what she needed to hear. Akito's face relaxed instantly, and a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

When she looked up at Tohru again, there was a determined fire in her dark eyes. "Tohru, I'd like for you to be my maid of honour," the girl said before any doubt could creep back into her tone. "If you want to that is … obviously. You don't have to if -"

"I do want to!" Tohru said excitedly, forgetting all about the food and almost knocking over her drink as she stood and reached across the table. "Akito, I'm so excited to get to be a part of your wedding," she squeaked, unable to contain her joy as she enclosed Akito's fidgeting fingers in her own comforting hold.

Kyo and Shigure, who had earlier promptly returned to squabbling, stopped once more at Tohru's excited outburst and turned to the two girls with intrigue. It didn't take them long to figure out what had happened.

When she retook her seat, Tohru caught Kyo flashing her a cryptic smile. He was happy for her. And even if he could never quite let go of his past with Akito completely, he was happy for her too.

As the conversation lapsed into various wedding planning details, talks of dresses, venues and flowers filled the room as even Shigure and Kyo put their two cents in and agreed on a few points despite their earlier animosity.

Whilst the two men discussed whether all the Sohma's would be wearing matching suits, Akito caught Tohru's attention with a gentle tap to the knuckle.

"So," she started, her voice pitched low so only Tohru could hear. "Have you two discussed marriage at all?" she asked, looking pointedly between Kyo and Tohru.

Tohru freaked out a little at the question, and in an effort to think of a response, she shovelled some mochi ice cream into her mouth and ate it as slowly as she possibly could. "Um … actually, we have," she replied eventually, hoping that the head of the Sohma's wouldn't push the topic further.

"Oh that's great," Akito responded. "I suppose it won't be long till the two of you tie the knot and have little Tohru's and Kyo's running around then."

Tohru choked on the spoonful of dessert in her mouth, coughing wildly as she tried to regain her composure. Kyo had her in his arms in seconds, rubbing her back with gentle soothing motions as Akito handed her a glass of water.

She took a sip, the cold seeping through her insides in cool wave of relief. "Thank you," she sighed softly before clearing her throat.

"Geez, would you take it easy. That dessert ain't going nowhere," Kyo said with a teasing grin, his hand still on her back. And then, more softly. "What had you eating like a maniac?"

Oh god, was she really going to have to talk about this.

"I'm afraid that was my fault," Akito stated. "I was just pointing out that I was looking forward to seeing more younger Sohma's in the family soon, and I seem to have caught Tohru off guard."

"Younger Sohma's?" Kyo repeated slowly, his confusion evident in his tone. "Is someone having another baby or something?"

"No, she meant _your_ children Kyo," Shigure clarified, and this time it was Kyo's turn to cough in embarrassment. He mumbled a response quietly, but no matter how she strained to hear him, Tohru couldn't make out a single world he said.

"What was that?" Akito asked, frowning in confusion at his response.

"Nothing," he said, voice strained as he refused to make eye contact with Tohru. "Kids are great, but shouldn't you two be more concerned about your own?"

"Ah, we haven't fully decided on that front yet have we my dear," Shigure said, turning to his wife-to-be. "Besides, everyone's already convinced that the pair of you will beat us all in that department." He grinned wickedly at Kyo. " _No pressure._ "

"Uh," Tohru smiled nervously. "We haven't actually talked about kids, but like Kyo said, they really are great."

"Oh. I was under the impression you'd already discussed it," Akito said quietly, looking more than a little embarrassed. Her other half on the other hand only grinned smugly, and from the look Akito gave him, it was clear where her misinformation had come from. The look was enough to make any normal man fall to his knees and beg for mercy, but Shigure's grin only widened.

"And with that, it seems we must be off," the older man said, standing and helping Akito to her feet beside him. It didn't take long for them to clear the table together and soon the four found themselves standing in the courtyard under the stars.

"Thank you again for such a lovely evening," Tohru said as she pulled Akito into a parting hug. "The food was amazing, and it was wonderful seeing you again."

"The same for you. And uh, Tohru," Akito said softly, holding onto her a little longer than needed. "Please ignore all the baby comments. I thought that …" she sighed softly, an air of suffering in her tone as she grumbled her fiancé's name.

Tohru couldn't help but giggle. "That's okay. I think he was just trying to make the evening a little more interesting and … it definitely worked."

"Yes, but still," Akito said, shaking her head as she pulled away from Tohru. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Kyo and Shigure were standing by the car that would take the older couple to the house at the annex, and Tohru couldn't help but watch with a full heart and quiet pride as Kyo and Akito shook hands and wished each other well in parting.

As the headlights of the car disappeared from view, Kyo sighed heavily and fell against the low wall dramatically. "That was one of the most painful experiences of my entire life," he groaned, words slightly muffled as he pressed his face squarely into his hands.

"Oh, definitely," Tohru giggled in agreement as she perched beside him. "But I'm so proud of you for going along with it anyway."

Kyo turned his face towards her with a shy smile and Tohru almost slipped off the wall as her heart stuttered at the sight. She didn't think she'd ever be able to put to words how beautiful her husband looked when he wasn't putting on a mask for the rest of the word.

"Do you think they figured us out tonight?"

"No, I think we pulled it off," she said, nudging him with her shoulder. "We make a good team, right?"

Kyo lifted his head and sat up straight, gazing up at the stars twinkling above them as he took in a deep breath.

"I sure hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, let me know your thoughts if you have the time! i hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as i enjoyed writing basically *everything* shigure said and did lol. until next time, stay safe guys x


	7. chapter seven

Tohru had been off ever since Shigure and Akito left.

She hadn't mentioned anything in particular to him, but Kyo knew _something_ was bothering her. He leaned in the doorway, biting the inside of his cheek as he watched her silently rearrange the cushions on the sofa.

It was nothing out of the ordinary, Tohru loved keeping things organised after all, but the fact that she had been moving the same cushion from one place to another for the past few minutes was concerning to say the least.

He briefly considered stopping her, but she seemed so lost in her own thoughts that he couldn't help but wonder what it was that was demanding so much of her attention. She seemed upset, almost, and he replayed their earlier conversations to try and find out what might have caused her shift in mood.

He inwardly cringed at some of the topics that came up during dinner, but despite being embarrassing, nothing had been so bad that she'd spend so long dwelling on it like she was. But if that wasn't it, then what _was_ she thinking about?

Giving up, he entered the room. Tohru glanced up as she noticed him, and her face broke into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she finally let go of the cushion. Kyo's brows dipped down at the sight and he sat gingerly on the sofa.

"Tohru, come here," he said, reaching out for her hands. Tohru cocked her head in question as she took his hand, and Kyo tugged her towards him with a sharp movement. She giggled as she fell into his lap, instantly covering her face with her hands to hide the way her cheeks had turned pink.

Kyo bit back a laugh at how ridiculous it was that she still got embarrassed like this. It was almost as if the Tohru he slept next to every night, the one that couldn't fall asleep unless she was holding onto some part of him, was a completely different girl than the one before him.

"Hey," he called softly, knocking the hands covering her face with his forehead. "Anyone in there?"

Tohru nodded, blowing out a stream of warm air as she let her hands drift down to her lap. "Sorry," she murmured as she turned her head to look at him. Her dark eyes were filled with something he couldn't quite recognise, and after watching her for a long moment, he sighed and let his head fall against her shoulder.

It was clear that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't going to figure out what was bothering her. At least, not without asking her directly.

"Is something wrong Kyo-kun?"

Kyo chuckled, lifting his head to meet her concerned gaze. "I'm fine, but I was just about to ask you the same thing," he admitted. "Is something the matter?"

Tohru glanced away from him quickly, her fingers knotting together. "No," she said quietly. "It's not important, really."

"What's not important?" Kyo reached for her hands and Tohru let out a soft sound of surprise as he began to untangle her fingers and entwine them with his own. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She nodded.

"I know that. It's just …" Tohru started before shaking her head. "It's nothing."

"Tohru," he chided softly, shaking their linked hands. "It's not _nothing_ if it's upsetting you."

Kyo knew his wife had a terrible habit of keeping her feelings hidden inside of her, and although she was getting much better at it, sometimes she still needed coaxing to remind her that sharing them didn't make her a burden.

Tohru didn't say anything in response, her eyes glued to her lap where she wove her fingers between his over and over.

"Are you mad at me?" Kyo asked, not because he thought she was but just so he could definitely rule it out.

"No, of course not!" she said adamantly, her brown eyes fierce with conviction.

The tight ball of worry in his chest loosened a little.

"Then … are you mad that we didn't get to have a proper wedding like Akito and Shigure are going to?" He'd considered it a possibility earlier that the Head of the family's upcoming nuptials had made her realise just what she'd lost out on, but …

"I'm not mad at all Kyo, especially not over something like that," she reassured him.

"Maybe you should be? I mean, you never got the chance to be a bride or have bridesmaids or any of that other stuff that people normally do at weddings."

"I don't mind that at all, and you missed out on just as much as I did. All I really wanted was to be with you, and I already have that."

"Is that right?" he teased, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. "Well, for what it's worth … you would have made the most beautiful bride, blushing or otherwise."

Tohru flashed him a shy smile and he couldn't help the way his chest stuttered in response. "So, if it's not about the wedding was it about … that other thing," Kyo prompted, hoping she'd catch onto his meaning without him having to spell it out.

Her eyes creased in confusion and he knew he'd have no such luck.

"About the kids thing," he clarified, willing his face to stay passive through sheer willpower.

"Oh," she replied with a startle, and Kyo knew he'd at least hit on part of what was bothering her. "No …"

"But?" Kyo continued, because he knew there was a _'but'_.

"Would you want to have children Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, and Kyo got the sense that she was deflecting the conversation away from her true thoughts again.

He mulled over his response for a moment, Tohru watching him expectantly as he did so. "Yeah? I mean, I think so. Someday."

"Oh," she replied, her tone and face not giving away anything.

"Only if you wanted them too, that is," he added quickly. " _Do_ you want kids?"

Tohru nodded instantly. "I do," she said, her tone a little brighter than it had been before.

"That's great," Kyo said. "But I still think you're not fully telling me what's bothering you."

"I know, and I'm sorry Kyo-kun. It's just … I really don't know how to explain what-"

Tohru cut herself off with a frustrated sigh, her shoulders tensing as she struggled to put her thoughts to words.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed, pulling her into a hug. He held onto her tightly, hoping she'd know that he cared for her so much and that she'd always be safe with him. "Give it your best shot. I might not understand, but I promise to try my best to figure out what you mean. So, what's bothering you?"

"It's … Shigure-san mentioned that-"

"Ugh, him," Kyo growled. "You know, you really shouldn't pay any attention to what _Shigure_ says of all people." Tohru blinked at him and Kyo realised that he'd just rudely interrupted her. "Sorry, I should have let you finish talking first. Go ahead, I'm listening."

"I think Shigure was right."

"What?" Kyo spluttered, not sure he'd heard his wife correctly. As much as he didn't want to, he loosened his hold on he so her could face her with ease. "I think my ears are broken. Did you just say that you think Shigure was _right?_ "

"Mhmm," she hummed, nodding her head.

"About what exactly?"

"About us."

Kyo shook his head and in confusion and Tohru groaned in embarrassment, but she followed through regardless.

"Back when we lived at Shigure's, we were basically staying in one room together and Yuki or someone was almost always home, so it made sense. But then you moved out and I missed you so much, and I thought that when were living alone we could maybe …"

She took a steadying breath and Kyo ran his thumb along the back of her hand. She let out a half-laugh as he pressed his nose to her cheek. "Keep going," he murmured, pressing his lips to the base of her jaw.

"I was too nervous to say anything, but then we got _married_ and we … never," she squeaked nervously, her face glowing with a blush even brighter than the one she'd worn before. "Shigure-san said we have the whole place to ourselves, and we do so … I was thinking that maybe …"

Tohru looked away from him, leaving the rest of her sentence hanging tensely in the air between them. Kyo knew that if her hands weren't in his right then that she'd be covering her face from him again. He was glad that she wasn't looking at him though, since his own face went as red as a beetroot as her meaning slowly dawned on him.

Was she asking if they …?

Hesitantly, she turned back towards him and Kyo's mouth fell open, his heart threatening to tumble out as he took in Tohru's heated gaze. It wasn't as if the thought had never occurred to him, he was only human after all, but … god, he couldn't think straight right now.

He tried to stutter through some form of a reply, but his words came out as nothing but garbled nonsense. He gave up on them quickly as Tohru began to shake with a quiet giggle.

"It's okay, Kyo," she said softly, and he barely even registered that she'd dropped the honorific, something he'd been trying to get her to do for the longest time. "It's like Shigure-san said, there's really no pressure or anything."

Now it was Kyo's turn to chuckle. "No that's … that's not how Shigure meant that," he said, a smile spreading across his face. In that moment, he knew exactly how lost Tohru must have felt earlier when she struggled to explain herself.

He placed a single finger under her chin and lifted her gaze up to his. Kyo wanted to tell her that he wanted what she did and so much more for them, but then, words had never really been his forte. He'd always preferred action.

And so, he simply leaned into her and let his lips do the talking before he found some other way to make a ridiculous embarrassment of himself. His kiss was soft and firm, and when she kissed him back with a hunger he'd never felt from her before he gasped against her lips in surprise.

She tried to pull back, afraid she'd gone too far, but he pulled her back and kissed her more insistently, his hands framing her face. It was new and exhilarating, and it took all he had to mumble a simple _'yes'_ as he lost himself in her touch.

"Wait, really?" she asked when he finally pulled back for air, studying the way her eyes were suddenly glittering with what he could only call desire. Kyo could only laugh against her lips at the surprise in her voice.

When it came to Tohru, he was so far gone that he wouldn't have been able to deny her the world had she asked for it. Maybe one day she'd figure it out, but until then …

"God yes," he murmured, pressing light kisses against her neck and jaw.

"Kyo-kun, I don't want you to think that you have to-"

He cut her off, smiling widely as he kissed her hard enough to make her forget all of her doubts. The slightly stunned look on her face when he pulled back was almost enough to send his thoughts flying into the unknown.

"Sorry. I know I should let you finish but I don't like where that was heading. You're not forcing me into anything, I promise."

He let his head fall back against the sofa, hair flopping across his eyes. He pushed it out of his face with his free hand and nudged Tohru with the other. She got the hint and turned so that she was facing him, her knees pressing into the sofa on either side of his legs.

She leaned in towards him, her nose brushing against his with a small smile and the scent of wildflowers. He reached up and let his fingers trail down her cheeks before cupping her jaw.

"Tohru," he said quietly, his voice floating in the small space between them. "You don't know how hard it's been sleeping next to you and trying not to think of you … like _that_."

"Kyo-kun," she called softly, her own hand reaching for his cheek. Her touch was cold, but it felt nice against his hot skin.

"What I mean to say is, you're not making me do anything I haven't already wanted to do for months." He shifted one hand onto her back and lowered her down onto the sofa, so he was hovering above her and meeting her intense look with a matching one of his own. "I want you," he drawled, his voice low and husky.

"I want you too," she whispered, and before he knew it his lips were on hers again and his hands were sliding down her thighs. Their touch felt real and right, and when her fingers wound through his hair, tugging gently on the strands to bring him closer, it took all Kyo had to break off the kiss.

Tohru mewled in protest at the loss of his touch, but he stroked her cheeks to keep any doubts at bay. "I think …" he breathed against her lips, struggling to catch his breath, "… maybe we should take this upstairs."

Tohru looked flustered for a second, as if only just realising that they were still in the living room before seeming to remember that they were all alone. No one would walk in on them anymore, so it was fine. But a bed would definitely be more comfortable.

She nodded and Kyo rolled off of her. Tohru made to follow, but before she could, Kyo leaned over and scooped her into his arms, holding her bridal style. "Please," he said softly. "Let me carry you like I should have on our wedding night," he said, the blush he'd been fighting for so long finally breaking through and lighting up his cheeks.

Tohru looked at a loss for words, but her shy smile said everything he needed to know. She leaned her head against his chest and let her hands snake around his neck. The way her fingers wove through his hair, Kyo wasn't sure he had enough self-restraint to make it the short distance to the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ack, apologies for taking so long with this chapter. i kept going back and forth about how far i wanted to take this and it was a whole dilemma lol. the next chapter will start *after* their night together and is more light-hearted (so this won't get too nsfw) but if i ever do post the spicier stuff, i'll likely upload it as a separate story. i'll let you guys know anyway. 
> 
> thank you so much for reading and supporting my work, i appreciate it so so much and i'll see you in the next one. take care x


	8. chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case you missed it, i posted the spicier [chapter 7.5 - king of my heart, body and soul](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27495871) . it's definitely not necessary to read it before this one or even at all, but it is there if you're interested <3

Kyo felt euphoric.

He’d been walking around all morning, feeling as if he was floating on air and smiling to himself like a complete idiot.

It was a little ridiculous if he was being honest, but he was much too happy to care. So much to the point where even the possibility of bumping into Shigure did nothing to put a damper on his exuberant mood.

He was currently flipping pancakes with his wife cosied up beside him and the entire moment was idyllic. If it was possible to live in a single moment for the rest of time, Kyo would be hard pressed to find a better one than this.

It was quiet, and it was peaceful, and it was _them_.

“So,” he started, sliding the fluffy cakes off the pan and splitting them between two plates. “Any idea what we should do today?” He knocked the plates in her direction as he spoke, ready for Tohru to decorate.

Tohru’s brows furrowed in thought as she threw fruit over the top and began to bury their breakfast in icing sugar, just the way she liked. “Actually, I have one thing I’d like.”

Kyo rounded behind her, locking his hands on her waist as he nuzzled her neck. “What is it?” he hummed against her skin, pausing to lift his head as she turned to look at him.

“I was hoping we could maybe walk along the cliffs today?” she said. Her words tilted up into a question as she turned back to the pancakes, sifting the sweet powder liberally over the top. “I know you really like hiking, so I thought it might be fun for us to go together.”

Kyo smiled involuntarily, his chest warming at the thought she’d put into her choice. He loved hiking – he had done ever since Master Kazuma had first shown him there was a freedom to be found beyond the Sohma’s – and the fact that Tohru remembered made him love it just that much more.

He pressed a light kiss to her temple for her thoughtfulness before indulging in trailing a few more down her cheek. His face heated at the memory of the night before when he reached her neck and he sighed softly, releasing her as he stepped back.

He hoped she hadn’t noticed the way his face was burning as he retreated to the table to recover. “You done over there?” he asked a moment later.

“Um,” Tohru hummed, shaking another layer of icing sugar on the pancakes for good measure before placing it down. “Yes. All done!” she exclaimed brightly, lifting the plates and placing them effortlessly onto the table.

“Here, let me,” Kyo said as he stood and proceeded to pull out a chair. Tohru seemed momentarily surprised, but she smiled and pecked his cheek in thanks as she seated herself. “These look amazing by the way,” he added, taking a seat beside her.

“I might have gone a little overboard with the sugar,” Tohru admitted with a shy smile, nudging the thick layer of white with her fork.

“Ah, I’m sure it’ll taste just fine,” Kyo said, and without any more hesitation he dug in before his stomach could betray just how hungry he actually was. He’d demolished almost half of his plate when Tohru knocked his foot with her own.

“Huh,” he said, mouth full of pancake and berries as he glanced towards Tohru. He hurriedly finished his bite as he noticed her curious expression. “What’s up?”

She was fiddling nervously with the ring around her neck again, refusing to put it on properly in case they accidently bumped into Akito and Shigure again on their trip. But more than that, Kyo noticed she had barely touched her food, and she loved pancakes.

“I just realised,” she said quietly. “You don’t have one. Her honey brown eyes watched him cautiously, as if she was unsure on how to proceed.

Kyo frowned for a moment, confused by what she meant when he noticed that she was still clutching at her neck. “Do you mean a ring?” he asked, tilting his head towards her own.

“I do,” she said with a simple nod.

“Don’t be silly. Of course I have one,” Kyo said, his lips twitching into a half smile.

Tohru cocked her head to the side as she took in his words, her face scrunching up in disbelief. Kyo only shook his head at her ridiculous expression before reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

He pulled out a piece of small paper from within, thin and folded flat. Opening it out, he revealed one of the two delicate paper rings they’d received at the shrine on that fateful day they had been married.

“ _Oh_ ,” she gasped, hands flying to her mouth, her eyes beginning to shine with unshed tears. “Kyo, you kept it?”

“Course,” he replied simply. “Why do you look sorta upset by that?”

“It’s not that,” she said softly. Kyo reached over to brush a thumb against her cheek, prompting her to go on, but Tohru only reached for his right arm in answer. Her gentle fingers traced the band of skin that circled his wrist, lighter than the rest.

Her eyes met his, warm and caring.

“Would,” she started softly, her voice almost a whisper – as if he were some wild animal that would be spooked back into the wilderness with a slight misstep. “Would wearing an _actual_ ring remind you too much of your Juzu beads?”

But Kyo was past those days. He lifted her fingers from his wrist, entwining them with his own instead. He was done running from his past and everything else he had faced, and he would prove that to her a hundred times over if he had to.

“No, I wouldn’t,” he admitted, meeting her intense gaze with one he hoped conveyed just how serious he was.

Kyo really wasn’t a huge fan of wearing anything that wasn’t immediately necessary.

Most of the time all it did was interfere with his training and teaching. But wearing a ring to remind himself that someone out there loved him just as much as he loved them - that _Tohru_ even loved him at all - that was something he could tolerate the irritation for without question.

“I’d wear anything if it was from you,” he told her. “Even those dumb crown-like things that sit on your head or whatever.”

_Even the beads._

“They’re called tiara’s, silly. But … if I got you one, would you wear it?”

“Would I actually wear a tiara? Course,” Kyo joked, unable to help but make light of the situation.

“The ring, Kyo,” Tohru corrected with a shake of her head, a hopeful smile flickering on her face. He nodded softly, biting on his bottom lip to keep his own nerves at bay.

“Sure.”

“Really?” she said, her voice rising a few octave as she bounced in her chair like an excitable puppy.

“Of course, really.”

Tohru smiled brightly, untangling her fingers from his only to smoosh his cheeks together with a giggle of pure delight. “Kyo, I’m going to find the most perfect ring. Just you wait!”

“You’re such a dork,” he murmured, the words barely coherent as he interrupted her rambling to mimic the gesture on her. Her cheeks were soft and warm, and her lips were-

“Ah, good! You’re both awake.”

Kyo and Tohru jumped apart from one in another with embarrassed flushes, ears tinged pink as they spotted Shigure loitering by the hallway, a knowing smirk plastered onto his smug face.

“I must admit, I _was_ a little worried I’d find you both in a flattering state of undress. But, it seems I find you in another sort of intimate … whatever it is you were doing to each other just then,” he said flapping his hand in their direction.

“If the thought crossed your mind, why did you let yourself in without a warning?!” Kyo growled, already regretting his earlier thoughts. As it turned out, Shigure was too powerful.

Nothing could stop him from ruining a person’s day after all.

“I could smell pancakes,” the man said simply, as if that completely excused his barging in unannounced.

“Leave,” Kyo seethed at the man’s flippant response. “Put the spare key on the table and get … out.”

“Now, now Kyo. That’s no way to speak to your elder.”

“You’ve done nothing to deserve being treated like one! Why are you even here?”

“Now there’s a question,” Shigure said, lacking all subtlety as he bounded across the room and draped himself across the sofa. “I do come bearing news actually. I just had an unexpected call from Kazuma, so I came to let you know you’re probably going to have to cut your little _vacay_ short.”

“What did he call you about?” Kyo asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the older man.

“Oh, who even knows. Something about some important announcement or other.”

“Announcement?” Tohru said with surprise. “I wonder what it could be?”

“Wait,” Kyo said slowly, a horrible feeling creeping into his bones. “Isn’t … _Hanajima_ in Tokyo right now?”

“I think so,” Tohru clarified, her easy smile betraying that she had no idea about the turmoil her simple answer was putting him through.

“I’m going to go call Master,” Kyo said hurriedly, doing his best to hide his alarm as a certain terrible thought surfaced in his mind, hauntingly menacing as it had been back when he’d been at school.

With his phone ringing at his ear and quick ruffle of Tohru’s hair, he retreated to the hallway, his remaining breakfast sitting on the counter forgotten.

“Hello, Kyo.” Master’s voice was bright and cheerful, and the smile Kyo could hear in his words did nothing to assuage his fear. “What a coincidence, I was just about to call you.”

“Master, are you getting married to Saki Hanajima!?” Kyo blurted out, unable to form even a hello without first getting out the only question in his mind. He listened on in wide-eyed silence as a low chuckle came down the line.

“Master?” Kyo prodded, his brows furrowing.

“Kyo, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all week,” Master said, still chuckling. “And believe me, I’ve heard some pretty unbelievable things this week.”

The red headed boy sighed in relief.

“Well that makes two of us,” Kyo murmured, glancing back at the room to see Tohru talking animatedly with Shigure. “But then why were you going to call? I mean, Shigure said you had an announcement, but to be honest I thought he was just lying.”

“Well, even Shigure tells the truth when it suits him I suppose,” Master said cryptically. “I actually do have something to tell you, but I’m afraid you’ll have to make your way to visit this old man to find out what it is. He did mention that you were off for a few days so I hope you can make it.”

“Of course,” Kyo started before remembering that he wasn’t just talking about himself anymore. “I mean, I need to talk to Tohru about it first but, we’ll do our best.”

“As you should Kyo. I’m glad to see you’re taking good care of her.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, not sure how to respond without telling the only father he’d ever really had the biggest news of his life.

“Well, I should go. Be sure to let me know about tomorrow Kyo, it’ll be great to have the two of you stay over. It really is quite important so do try your best.”

“Yeah, we will. Bye Da-” Kyo started before the rest of the phrase dried up in his throat. “See ya Master,” he finished lamely, wondering if he’d ever be able to call the man what he deserved.

He heard Kazuma sigh softly down the phone before a sharp click disconnected their call. Someday soon, he told himself. Someday soon.

“Why are you still here?” Kyo groaned, directing his words at Shigure as he returned. His bad mood flared instantly at the sight of the man. “Don’t you have a fiancé to take care of?”

“Don’t _you_?”

“Tohru’s not my fiancé,” Kyo blurted absently.

“Ah of course,” Shigure said, thankfully completely missing Kyo’s point and turning to Tohru with an air of disappointment. “How could I forget. My humblest apologies dear.”

“Get out Shigure,” Kyo seethed.

Shigure stood to leave, an immovable pout on his face as he began to make his way towards the front door. “Well I hate to love you and leave you, but I did promise Akito I would take her to a lovely restaurant today. I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“Goodbye Shigure-san. Say hello to Akito from us.”

“Oh, I’ll be sure to. You two take care now,” Shigure said smugly as he disappeared from view, leaving the front door wide open in his wake, a testament to his lasting presence. Kyo sighed as he stomped over to close and lock the door, wondering if Shigure had bothered to drop his spare key inside or not.

“Was everything okay with Master?” Tohru asked when he returned to the kitchen. She was in the process of clearing away their breakfast plates and she plucked a strawberry from her own plate before turning to him.

“Oh, yeah everything was fine. Um, he actually has some news to share with us, but he wants us there in Tokyo with him tomorrow to tell us.”

“Oh, tomorrow?” Tohru said her eyes sparkling with intrigue. “How exciting!”

“Yeah but do you really want to go? I mean, it is really short notice.”

“Of course I do Kyo. It’s Master! He must have some very big news to share if he wants us there so soon.”

“Yeah,” Kyo said warmly. “He was excited about having us stay with him. We could even go and see your grandpa while we’re there if you like. It’s been a while since you saw him, right?”

“Yes, it has. I really would like to see him soon.”

“Then, it’s settled that we’re going tomorrow?” Kyo asked, reaching for her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. The last thing he wanted to do was make her do something she didn’t really want to.

Tohru leaned over to nudge her nose against his and the excitement in her smile soothed his reservations immediately. “It’s settled.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i don't post again this year, i love you guys and wish you all the best in 2021. stay safe <3


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